Two of the most valuable conversations I had at SXSW London happened on consecutive days, and together they painted an interesting picture of where the immersive sector is heading.

I was delighted to join a panel moderated by Mathieu Demaré alongside Michael Barngrover (XR4Europe), Heleen Rouw (CIIIC) and Nigel McAlpine (Digital Catapult) exploring a challenge many of us are wrestling with across Europe: how do we bridge the gap between immersive innovation and real-world adoption?

The conversation focused on the "missing middle" between research, prototypes and scalable deployment. We discussed digital sovereignty, cross-border collaboration, ecosystem development and the role immersive technologies can play across sectors from culture and education to manufacturing, health and digital twins. As Eirmersive deepen our engagement with manufacturing SMEs on the PRISM programme, it was great to share some early findings to support the conversation…

Congratulations to Animotive which has been named one of the UK’s 10 most innovative media tech companies in BusinessCloud ’s MediaTech 50 for 2026.

Commenting on the ranking, Philip Morrow, Executive Chair and Co-Founder at Animotive said, “Making the top 10, judged by an expert panel and a public vote, means a lot. We’re bringing real-time performance and AI-assisted workflows to animation, education and virtual production, and we’re just getting started.”

In other Animotive news, the team travelled to Munich for a Virtual Production workshop, hosted with XR HUB Bavaria, in cooperation with Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (HFF München). The session, "Bringing Virtual Production into the Classroom," was built for lecturers, academics and students exploring how to introduce VP into their teaching.

Eirmersive is delighted to announce Beyond Realities, our FREE 8 day virtual production training programme at IADT, Dún Laoghaire this June! 🎬

A hands-on virtual production training programme for creative and technical companies who want to get to grips with one of the most exciting formats in screen production today.

Over 8 days you will work as part of a team to take an unscripted television format from concept to camera, rotating through real VP roles and finishing with a full showcase shoot.

The course aims to help participants:

Understand → Build → Operate → Solve Problems → Deliver.

Dr Jeremiah Ambrose, Head of Department for Film and Media at Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology said,..

EDGE26 demonstrated exactly why the creative industries need spaces where technology, storytelling, design and enterprise collide. Huge credit to Niamh Costello and the team at CREW for creating a platform that felt genuinely ambitious, commercially focused and deeply connected to the future of Ireland’s creative economy.

Our CEO Camille Donegan said, "For Eirmersive, it was incredibly valuable to see our members* exhibiting alongside leaders from across film, games, immersive technology and digital innovation. Events like EDGE don’t just showcase talent, they create real opportunities for collaboration, visibility, investment conversations and new market connections. The energy in Galway showed that Ireland’s creative technology ecosystem is maturing fast, and immersive technology is now a core part of that conversation."

On 21 May 2026, Ireland’s creative and technology communities will come together in Galway for EDGE26 – Ireland’s Creative Economy Summit. Hosted at the Dexcom Stadium, the event brings founders, studios, investors, policymakers, and researchers into one space to explore how creativity, technology, and enterprise are converging to shape the future economy.

For Eirmersive, EDGE26 represents more than just a date in the calendar — it’s a moment to highlight the strength, diversity, and ambition of Ireland’s immersive technology community.

We’re proud to see Eirmersive CEO Camille Donegan included among the EDGE26 speaker line-up, alongside leading voices from across the creative and technology sectors.

Camille will contribute to the “Sectoral Spotlights” session, where insights from across the digital creative industries, including immersive technology, will be shared.

On Friday 8th May at Digital Catapult Digital Twin Centre in Belfast, we were delighted to bring the PRISM Showcase Event to life, marking a key milestone in supporting Manufacturing SMEs to explore and adopt immersive, digital twin and AI technologies.

Led by Eirmersive, PRISM is about more than innovation, it’s about practical application, collaboration, and real-world impact. The showcase highlighted how XR, digital twins, and AI-driven tools are already beginning to transform workflows, products, and experiences across the island.

A huge thank you to our programme partners for their expertise, collaboration, and ongoing commitment: Digital Catapult, Queen's University Belfast, Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) and to our funders for making this initiative possible: InterTradeIreland.

Lough Ree Access For All has launched a new Virtual Reality experience designed to make the heritage of Inchcleraun Island accessible to everyone. The initiative was officially unveiled in Lanesboro with Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran and representatives from the Department of Public Expenditure in attendance.

Building on the charity’s mission to provide inclusive, wheelchair-accessible boat trips on Lough Ree, the new Inchcleraun VR Project allows visitors who cannot physically disembark onto the island to explore its monastic ruins through a 10‑minute immersive Virtual Reality tour. Using VR headsets, visitors can engage with the ancient stories of St Diarmaid and Queen Maeve and gain a deeper connection to the island’s rich history.

The experience was designed and delivered by Eirmersive member Emagine, who worked closely with the Lough Ree Access For All team to create a fully portable, waterproof XR solution…

In this episode of Case Study Corner, we spoke with Eirmersive member Janet Beck, CEO at GLASSEYE, about The Intelligence Garden — a large-scale immersive experience commissioned for Outernet London, one of the most ambitious digital public spaces in the world.

Outernet’s Now Building is a free, open-access cultural venue located off Tottenham Court Road, featuring a four-storey, 23,000 square foot, 16K LED environment with wraparound walls and ceiling. With approximately 85,000 visitors each week, it offers a unique platform for immersive storytelling at architectural scale.

Building on the success of GLASSEYE’s earlier Outernet commission, The Summer Palace — voted the UK’s number one attraction in its launch year — The Intelligence Garden explores the evolution of intelligence across biological, human and digital systems.

Watch the full interview here…